


New Chances

by smoljackaboy



Category: Markiplier - YouTube RPF, Septiplier - Fandom, jacksepticeye - Youtube RPF
Genre: Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Angst, Blood, Dark Thoughts, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pain, Past Abuse, Rape/Non-con Elements, Septiplier - Freeform, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Suicidal Thoughts, dark angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-13
Updated: 2016-05-12
Packaged: 2018-06-02 00:52:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,719
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6543817
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smoljackaboy/pseuds/smoljackaboy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Mister?"</p>
<p>"Mister?"</p>
<p>"Are you okay?” A baby like voice asked the American. He looked up to see a young girl with brown hair just past her shoulders and green eyes. She looked like she was about four or five.</p>
<p>“I’m fine.” Mark smiled a little at the little girl’s concern.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. In the Park

**Author's Note:**

> Wow I am starting SO many new series XD 
> 
> In this AU, neither Jack or Mark are YouTubers, just regular people. Jack has a daughter named Sam, and the story takes place in LA, where Mark lives. The story would mostly be told from Mark's POV in a third person limited form. 
> 
> I hope you'll enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. This was written at 3 in the morning. (Wow I really need to sleep soon XD)

He is sitting on the side of the park, leaning against a maple tree. He didn’t care for the people that gave him looks as he sobbed into his knees. He just wants to be alone from everyone else, away from his thoughts as well. 

 

“Mister? Are you okay?” A baby like voice asked the American. He looked up to see a young girl with brown hair just past her shoulders and green eyes. She looked like she was about four or five.

 

“I’m fine.” Mark smiled a little at the little girl’s concern.

 

“But you were crying.” She furrowed her eyebrows, “Why are you crying?”

 

“I’m just a little sad, that’s all. We all get sad sometimes, don’t you?”

 

“Yeah, but usually when I’m sad, my daddy cheers me up and swings me around in the air!” She threw her arms up and jumped.

 

“Well, I’m too big to be thrown in the air now, aren’t I?” Mark put his hands on his hips and gave the little girl a playful questioning look.

 

She covers her mouth with both hands and giggled, “Maybe you can find a giant to throw you in the air!” She laughed even harder at her own joke. Mark smile grows wider at her cute silliness.

 

“Sam! Sam! Where are ya?” 

 

A voice shouted and the girl bounced up and down and waved her hand towards a man wearing a blue sweatshirt. “I’m right here daddy!”

 

The man ran over to the girl and enveloped her into a hug. “Don’t go running off like that. You scared your old man here for a second.” 

 

She laughed a little as the man, who doesn’t even look thirty, smiled, “I was just helping someone here, like how you always told me to help people by being positivity! You said I being positiveious and e-energeticious can help spread to other people!” A satisfactory smile spread across her face as she pronounce the hard words. 

 

“Yup! That’s right!” Her dad ruffled her hair, proud that his morals were reflecting onto his daughter.

  
  


Mark realized he had stopped crying and wore a large smile at the scene. The man looked over at Mark and his smile faltered a little.

 

“Hey dude, what’s up?” The stranger held out his hand to help Mark up as his daughter imitated him by grabbing onto the other hand.

 

“Heh. It’s nothing, really. Sorry for uh, distracting your daughter.” The red haired man awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “I’ll uh, I’ll head home now.” 

 

The green-haired man quickly grabbed his arm to stop him, “Are ye sure yer okay? You look like you’ve been crying for a while.”

 

_ Three hours and twenty one minutes to be exact.  _

 

“Here,” The man unzipped his backpack and pulled out a couple of tissues. “Ya don’t want people to look at ya weirdly with yer tear stains and all.” He chuckled a bit and offered the tissues to Mark.

 

_ Thirty seven people looked at me weirdly already for your information.  _

 

“Thanks.” The American gave the stranger a grateful smile and started blowing his nose and wiping away the remaining of his tears.

 

“I’m Jack by the way. And this is my daughter, Sam.” Sam popped up and cutely smiled and waved. 

 

“I’m Mark,” He stuffed the used tissues into his pockets, seeing there weren’t any garbage cans around. “Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand to give Jack a shake, but immediately retracted it as he remembered about the germs and snot on his fingers.

 

“Same to ya as well.” Jack had a charismatic smile, “So, ya wanna talk about it? You know, to get it off yer chest? I mean, we’re like complete strangers so I ain’t really gonna tell anyone ya know.”

 

Mark thought about it for a short while, then realized that Jack was right. They are both complete strangers and it wouldn’t hurt Mark to tell him. 

 

“Sure I guess.” 

 

“You wanna sit down here or at the bench o’er there?”

 

“Uh...here’s fine.” The bench Jack was pointing at had too many people surrounding it, which Mark didn’t really want.

 

“K, just give me a second.” Jack turned around and mumbled something to Sam, then handed her a notebook and a pack of crayons from his bag. He went to lay a blanket onto the grass about seven feet away from the tree. She followed Jack and sat down on the blanket, opening the empty notebook and began drawing.

 

Jack plopped back down next to Mark, “Okay, what’s yer story?”


	2. Make Yourself At Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a bit of fluff! Enjoy! <3
> 
> Note: Written at 2 am XD

“Should I tell you from the beginning? Or just what I was crying about?”

 

“Erm… which ever makes ya comfortable.”

 

“Umm..okay, uh…” Mark wasn’t sure how to start, so he decided just to spit it out, “I was uhh…” Mark looked away from Jack, tears threatening to spill his eyes, “I was a-abused.” He squeezed his eyes shut from the fear of the tears falling and the fear of Jack’s reaction.

 

“Shit man,” He heard Jack whisper under his breath, and without warning, tears were pouring down the American’s face. “Hey shh… She’s not here anymore. Shh..it’s alright.” Jack was patting Mark’s back, hoping to calm him down.

 

“He.” Mark said between sobs.

 

“What?” 

 

“It’s a he. I had boyfriend.” 

 

Jack looked surprised for a minute, but his expression quickly changed back, hoping Mark wouldn’t notice. Mark, thankfully for Jack, was still too busy weeping into his hands, trying to muffle his cries. 

 

The Irishman continued to try calming him down, but to no avail. 

 

“We don’t have to talk about now if you don’t want to,” Jack gently patted and rubbed Mark’s back, “But uh...do ya have a place to stay?”

 

With his face still buried into his hands, Mark shook his head.

 

“You can stay with us if you like.” 

 

Mark looked up Jack with red swollen eyes and shock on his face. No one has ever been this nice to him before, especially a stranger whom he’s never seen. Can he really trust him? Well, judging by his daughter, he looks like a genuine guy. Besides, what does Mark have to lose?  

“R-really? A-are you s-sure?” Mark sniffled.

 

“Yeah, it’ll be no trouble at all.” Jack smiled at Mark, eyes gleaming with what Mark read as hope.

 

“T-thanks Jack,” He wiped his tear-soaked hands on the side of his jacket, “I’ll be sure to pay you back someday.”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” The green-haired man stood up and offered a hand to Mark as well, “You don’t hafta pay me back. Just think of me as a friend doin’ ya a favor.”

 

“Thanks again, but I’m gonna pay you back no matter what you say.” Jack pulled Mark off the ground.

 

“No, really its-”

 

“Nuh uh uh,” Mark held his finger in front of Jack’s lips, cutting him off, “I will pay, and you will take my money. Got it?”

 

Jack chuckled at his persistency, “Alright, alright, I’ll take your money.”

 

“Good.” Mark genuinely smiled for the first time today.

 

“Sam!” He waved over to his daughter who was still immensely focused on her drawing. The two men, Mark following Jack, walked over to the blue blanket on the grass to alert Sam. 

 

Jack knelt down besides her, “Whatcha drawin’ there?”

 

“It’s Mr. Uncle’s pugs!” She smiled proudly at her drawing. Mark peeked over Jack’s shoulder to see what she drew. There were two blobs, a white one with black detailing and a black one, whom Sam claimed to be pugs. Below that, Mark saw what he thinks are letters written underneath the two pugs. The letters under the white spelled, “Mya,” and the ones under the black one spelled, “Edghar.”

 

Sam noticed Mark behind her father and whispered into Jack’s ear, loud enough for Mark to hear, “Is the sad man going to be your new friend?”

 

“Yes, the sad man is going to be my new friend,” Jack exaggeratedly whispered loudly into her ear, “He’s also going to stay at our house for a while because we’re helping him out.” 

 

“Is he my friend too?” She whispered loudly back.

 

“Yes, he can be your friend too.” At the statement, her eyes lit up and she jumped up from her spot and ran over to Mark, hugging both of his legs.

“Yay! You’re my new friend!”

 

Mark was taken aback by her force, and tripped and fell over onto the soft grass.

 

Sam quickly scrambled off of him and covered her mouth with her tiny hands, “Oops! Sorry mister! I didn’t mean to hurt you! Are you okay?” She sat herself down besides Mark and looked over his body, checking if there were any injuries.

 

Mark stood back up and brushed himself off, still smiling at the little girl’s compassion.

 

“Don’t worry,” He reassured her, “I’m fine.” 

 

Sam smiled back, “Okay good!” She grabbed Mark’s hand and ran over to Jack to grab his hand, “Let’s go home now!”

 

The walk toward Jack’s home was filled with questions and comments from Sam. She was a very curious and energetic girl, much like her father.

 

“What’s your name, mister?”

 

“My name is Mark.” 

 

“I like your hair color! Red is one my favorite colors.”

 

“Thank you! I like your eyes, green is a very pretty color.”

 

She giggled, looking the slightest bit flustered, “Thank you!”

 

“How old are you, Sam?”

 

“I am 5 years old! I’m almost 6, I just have to wait…” She paused and looked up at her dad who held up seven fingers, “I just have to wait 7 months!”

 

“How about you Jack?”

 

“I’m twenty six, just turned in February.” 

 

Mark’s eyes widen, as he was astounded at Jack’s young age. 

 

_ If he is 26, doesn’t that mean he had a child since he was 21? _

 

Reading his expression, Jack piped up, “Yeah, I know, I had Sam at a very young age.” He chuckled a little and glance down at Sam, who was distracted by a butterfly weaving in and out through the flowers. “How old are you, Mark?”

 

“I’m twenty six, except I’ll be turning twenty seven at the end of June.”

 

“Ahh I see.” Jack nodded his head, “What day are you turning twenty seven?”

  
“On the twenty eighth of June.” Mark replied, “What about you? When’s your birthday?”

 

“February seventh.” 

 

Sam was mostly silent on the rest of the way home, not wanting to be impolite and interrupting their conversation. The two men bounced questions and answers back and forth about each other. Like where they’re from, their hobbies, their childhood, etc. 

 

After about twenty minutes of walking and talking, the three of them arrived at a rather large blue colored house, with a garden of roses and tulips out in the front.

 

“Daddy,” Sam tugged at Jack’s sleeve, “Can I use the key to unlock the door?”

 

Her father grinned and handed her the keychain hanging from his neck. Sam excitedly rushed to the door to unlock it. A satisfying  _ click  _ was heard and the door swung wide open, revealing the beautiful interior of the house. 

 

“Come on in and make yerself at home.” Jack casually threw his backpack onto the floor next to the door and Sam went off to play, leaving Mark to explore the house in awe.

 

The house had three floors, the main floor, the top floor, and a basement. The main floor consisted of a large and tidy kitchen, with pots and pans all neatly stacked on the rack. The living room had a set of drums, a piano, two couches in the corner, and a glass coffee table on side, and a large flatscreen TV stuck onto the wall with a couple of beanbags for sitting. And then there was the dining room, with a long table with four chairs on each side and a chandelier above it. In the center of the dining table was a bouquet of roses in a beautifully detailed vase. There was also a separate play-room for Sam, containing all her toys and art supplies. And of course, there were two bathrooms. Throughout the house, there were plants and flowers everywhere. 

In the top floor, there was a room that seemed to be used for electronics. There was a PlayStation 4, a computer, a laptop, and a Wii-U in the corner. Along the sides of the wall were boxes, one box had games made for the PS4, another for the Wii-U, and two other boxes, one for headphones, and one for controllers. There were three bedrooms, one bathroom, and a master room upstairs. Down in the basement, there was a fireplace and many paintings and pictures of Jack and Sam along the walls. The basement was just one giant room with various furniture, and has a closet and a bathroom against one of the walls.

 

Mark walked back up the stairs to find Jack in an apron stirring something in the kitchen. 

 

“Hey Mark! Are you done looking around yet?” The Irishman asked while pouring the batter into a muffin tray. 

 

“Yeah, you have a really nice place. I like the flowers you put out.”

 

Jack’s face was tinted a light red, “Thanks! Ya want me to show ya yer room now?” He set down the bowl and put the tray in a small oven, then went to wash his hands. 

 

“Sure, now’s a good time.”

 

“‘K, gimme a minute.” Jack grabbed a pink bottle of food coloring and mixed it with a bowl of buttercream frosting. Mark rocked back on forth on his feet while the other was scrambling around the kitchen. After he finished stirring the frosting, he tore off a piece of plastic wrap to cover the bowl and put it in the fridge.

 

“Okay, let’s go.” Jack dried his hands on his apron and hung it on the pantry doorknob as Mark followed him upstairs. He opened a door at the end of the hallway and gestured Mark to come inside. In the room was a wooden drawer next to a queen sized bed. On the opposite end was a walk-in closet. 

 

“The bathroom’s right ‘round the corner whenever ya need it.” They walked into the bathroom and Jack started rummaging through the cabinets underneath the sinks, “And here is a toothbrush for you.” He handed Mark a purple toothbrush and stood back up, “If ya need anything, just call me, I’mma be down in the kitchen.”

 

Jack started to walk off and Mark stopped him for a second, “Hey, thanks for this. I really do appreciate it.”

 

Jack beams back at Mark, “No problem, ya can stay here fer as long as you like, or whenever ya get back on yer feet.”

 

“Thanks,” Mark smiles again as Jack walks back downstairs.

  
_ What have I done to deserve this kind soul?  _


	3. Finding Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I didn’t―I wasn’t―I’m so sorry Mark.” Jack didn’t walk any closer to Mark, sensing how uncomfortable this was for him. 
> 
> Fighting back the tears, he managed to regain his composure and speak, “It’s fine, I wasn’t planning on you to find out either.”
> 
>  
> 
> WARNING: THIS CHAPTER HAS A SLIGHT MENTION OF ABUSE. NOTHING GRAPHIC THOUGH.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two chapters in one day! ARE YE PROUD OF ME MA? 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Mark woke up the next morning lying on his bed, still wearing the same clothes as yesterday. He didn’t remember taking a shower, or even climbing into the bed to sleep, but he must have passed out. Running his fingers through his bed head and yawning, he turned to the alarm clock to see that it was already 7 am. He had been sleeping for about 19 hours. Crying sure did take a lot of energy.

 

Standing up from the bed, Mark walked over to the bathroom and decided to take a shower, still feeling sticky and grimy from yesterday. He stripped off his clothes and threw them in the small basket that Jack left especially for Mark. Turning on the shower, he stepped into the tub and stood under the warm water for a few minutes, letting it wash away the dried tears and blood on his face and body. 

 

Stepping out of the shower, he looked at himself in the mirror. Along the sides his torso were dark purple bruises, accompanied with bright red cuts that stung after the shower. He twisted his neck around so that he could look at his back. Deeper cuts were carved into the skin and yellowish-purple spotted his back. He realized he was still bleeding from his most recent punishments.

 

_ Thank god I wore a black shirt.  _

 

Wrapping a towel around his waist, he looked through some of the cabinets for a bandage roll. 

 

_ None. Well, what was I expecting? Not everyone has rolls of bandages to wrap around their entire fucking body. _

 

Mark also forgot that he doesn’t have any clothes to wear. 

 

_ It’s 7 am on a Sunday, they’re probably asleep. _

 

With only a towel covering his waist down to his knees, he tiptoed down the stairs trying not to disturb the sleeping family. He was looking through a closet within the hallway when a voice spoke up from one of the other rooms. 

 

“Daddy? Are you awake already?”

 

Mark froze as he heard Sam walking towards him. He can’t let her see him like this, almost naked and cuts and bruises covering his upper body. He rushed into the closet and shut the door, hiding behind the clothes and hoping Sam wouldn’t find him. Newsflash: She found him. Sam heard the noise of the closet door slamming shut and went to open it, only to see Mark hiding in the dark. 

 

“Mister Mark?” She peered into the closet, “Is that you?”

 

“Yes, it’s me.” Mark wasn’t sure how to respond in this situation. Should he just sprint past her back into his room? Should he just stay in the closet and try to play it off? Should he shut her inside the closet so that he could escape without her knowing about it?

 

“What are you doing in there?” She giggled, “Are you playing hide and seek?”

 

“Uhh... yes…”

 

“Who are you playing with?”

 

“Erm...nobody really,”  _ This is going great… _

 

“That’s not very fun to play by yourself! I’ll play with you!”

 

“No it’s -” 

 

“I”ll hide, and you try to find me!” Before Mark could stop her, she pulled him out of the closet. Her eyes grew wide and she gasped as she saw how battered his body was. Mark could see her eyes start to water.

 

“Nonono, don’t cry,” Mark knelt down and pulled her into a hug, “It’s okay. I know you think this is scary but―”

 

Sam interrupted Mark once again, “I’m not sad because it’s scary, I’m sad because I feel bad for you.” Mark’s heart ached at how caring she was, and for such a young age as well. She gasped again, “Did I do this to you when I accident push you to the ground? I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to!”

 

Sam started sobbing again, tears dripping down Mark’s shoulder as he tried to comfort her.

 

“No sweetie, it wasn’t you.” He said in a gentle voice, “Don’t worry, you didn’t hurt me. Shh shh shh...”

 

“Th-then who hit you?” She whispered between quiet sobs, “It’s not nice to hit people like that, especial to you. You such a nice person! Why would people want to h-hit you?”

 

Mark winced a little at the memory, “Sometimes people get angry and take it out on other people.”

 

“But it’s not fair! You didn’t do anything wrong.” She stopped crying and pulled away to scan Mark’s body again. “D-does it hurt a lot?”

 

Mark hesitated a short while before answering, “Yeah, it kinda does,” he offered her a weak smile, “But don’t worry about me, I’m fine.” He exaggeratedly posed and flexed his muscles, “I’m a big boy!” 

 

She laughed which made Mark smile as well, “Okay, but don’t let the meanie hit you again. I don’t like to see my friends get hurt.” 

 

“Alright, you go back and play, I’m going to find some actually clothes to wear.”

 

“Heehee ok Mr. Mark!” She ran back to her playroom and picked up her crayon again.

 

He continued rummaging through the closet for clothes larger than Jack and could actually fit him. 

 

“Hey is everything alright? I heard ―”  _ Crap.  _ Mark was afraid to turn to face Jack and stared into the closet, frozen in place. 

 

“Mark…” The American could hear the sorrow in the Irishman’s voice. He still stood in place, afraid to move and breathe.

 

“I didn’t―I wasn’t―I’m so sorry Mark.” Jack didn’t walk any closer to Mark, sensing how uncomfortable this was for him. 

 

Fighting back the tears, he managed to regain his composure and speak, “It’s fine, I wasn’t planning on you to find out either.”

 

“You know you can talk to me whenever yer ready. I’m here fer ya buddy.” 

 

“Thanks, Jack.” He smiled, but he still didn’t move from his spot. 

 

“I’ll go help ya find some clothes. I think I have some oversized sweatshirts in my closet somewhere.” Jack headed up the stairs, “I’ll put them in your room, if you’d like.”

 

“Yeah, that’ll be great,” Mark still stood in his spot, waiting for Jack to completely leave. When he couldn’t hear his footsteps anymore, Mark rushed back into his own room and jumped into bed to cover himself under his blankets and sheets. He pulled the sheets up to cover his face as well and sighed.

 

_ This is gonna be a long week. _


	4. Questions, Questions, and Even More Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bit of cupcake-making fluff! 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Before the plot starts moving again at the end >:)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update guys! School has been killing me right now D:

A knock was heard at the door, “Mark? Can I come in?”

 

Mark poked his head out of the blanket and answered a yes. Jack slowly opened the door and stepped in with his eyes tightly shut and his arms stretched out in front of him.

 

“Mark? Are ye naked?”

 

“Yes, but I’m under a blanket so you can open your eyes.” He chuckled.

 

He opened one eye to make sure, then the other, and threw the clothes on the bed to Mark. Jack walked back out to leave Mark to change.

 

Mark got out from under the bedsheets to see what Jack has given him, an oversized gray hoodie (which fit Mark just perfectly), a pair of jeans that are too big for Jack, but still a little tight for Mark, a pair of blue boxers, and a pair of socks. After getting dressed and running a comb through his floofy hair, he left the bedroom to eat. Well, he was  _ hoping _ to eat. Jack was leaning against the wall near the staircase on his phone, as if waiting for Mark. 

 

Mark was about to move past him when the Irishman looked up, “Hey.”

 

…

 

…

 

_ That’s all he wants to say? Hey? _

 

Mark cleared his throat to interrupt the awkward silence and greeted back, “Hi.”

 

The two of them just stood there, shooting their eyes in different directions, any direction away from each other. Until both of them spoke at the same time.

 

“So I was wond―”

 

“Is it okay if I―”

 

They both chuckled at their failed attempt to communicate.

 

“You go first,” Mark said.

 

“Okay, so was wonderin’ if yer okay after that. I’m really sorry fer barging in like that, an―”

 

Mark cutted him off, “You don’t need to be sorry Jack, you didn’t know. I should be sorry for barging into  _ your _ home and stealing your food and clothes.” 

 

“Yeah, okay, but if ya need to talk, just ask, okay?”

 

“I know, I know, I will.” Mark internally rolled his eyes, Jack was like a nagging mother.

 

They both headed downstairs to see Sam near the dinner table, with a towel in her hand and spilt milk all around her bowl of cereal and the floor. Sam looked up at Mark and Jack and mumbled a silent ‘oops’.

 

“Jaysus Sam, if you wanted milk, just ask me.” Jack rushed over to with a bigger towel to start soaking up the liquid around her feet. He asked Mark to grab a roll of paper in the kitchen as well.

 

“I know, I just didn’t want to interrupt your talking with mister Mark.” She continued to drag the wet towel along the table, trying to wipe up the rest of the milk.

 

“Aww I won’t mind, sweetie,” Jack smushed his cheek against Sam and gave her a kiss, “Yer my number one priority!”

 

She giggled, “What does pri….pr―”

 

“Priority means something that is more important than anything else.” Jack booped Sam’s nose with his dry hand, “Which is you!”

 

Sam laughed some more. Mark’s soul beamed at the sight of this scene. He didn’t realize he had been standing still, watching for so long, until Jack called him out.

 

“Ya comin’ with the paper towels or what?” The Irishman chuckled.

 

Blinking a few times, Mark snapped out of his gaze and walked over to the two of them, carefully stepping around the splashed milk on the kitchen floor. He tore off the paper towels and handed them to Jack and Sam which they used to wipe off the milk. They repeated this process until the hardwood floor and dining table were dry and clean. 

 

“Daddy?” Sam tugged at the bottom of Jack’s shirt, “Can I get another bowl of cereal? Mine is all soggy now.”

 

“How about we have some cupcakes instead?”

 

Mark gave him a questioning look, “For breakfast? Isn’t that kind of unhealthy?”

 

“What can I say?” Jack walked over to the fridge to pull out the tray of plain cupcakes baked from yesterday and a bowl of pink frosting, “I’mma rebel.” Jack tipped his chin down and gave Mark a devious smile, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

 

Mark laughed, “Alright, you are the dad after all.”

 

“Yay!” Sam bursted in excitement, “Can I help with the frosting again?”

 

“Yes, but no squirtin’ in it yer mouth this time. Ya made a mess last time doin’ that.” 

 

Sam blushed lightly at the memory, “Okay, I promise I won’t.”

 

“Pinkie promise?” Jack teased and held out his pinkie.

 

“Yup! Pinkie  _ swear _ !” Sam giggled and hooked her pinkie onto Jack’s.

 

“Okay then.” He smiles as he filled up three icing dispenser and put on a star-shaped tip on each of them. 

 

He held one out to Mark, “Ya wanna try it?”

 

“Sure.”

 

“So just start from the center and spiral it out. It’s simple, really.”

  
~  
  


After frosting all of the cupcakes and eating some as they go along, the three of them sat in the living room, watching  _ Spongebob  _ on the TV.

 

During a commercial, Mark wanted to break the ice a bit more, “So…”

 

“So…?” Jack playfully imitates Mark.

 

“Tell me more about yourself, like your job, background, and all that shit. I wanna get to know you better.”

 

The green-haired man thought for a moment before speaking, “Okay, so currently I’mma sound engineer for (gaming company). But waaay before that, and before I graduated from college, I worked in a small bakery shop whose owner is my friend’s parents. But it was just t’ pay off student loans and shit like that.”

 

“Is that why you make such delicious cupcakes?” 

 

Jack grinned at his remark, “Yup, that’s where I learned. And even before then, when I was sixteen, me and a few of my friends created a heavy metal band and we’d play small gigs here and there. If you couldn’t tell already, I was the drummer of the band.”

 

“That’s cool!”  _ This guy has accomplished so much more than I ever have.  _ “How about stuff about you and Sam?”

 

“Well, Sam and I just recently moved here about two years ago. There’s really nothin’ more to it.”

 

“Why did ya guys divorce?” Mark immediately regretted asking this question as he realized he was prying too much. 

 

The gleam in Jack’s eyes dulled as his expression quickly fell, “Umm...uhh...things...weren’t working..out…” Mark could see his eyes beginning to water.

 

“Excuse me fer a moment.” Jack got up from the couch and headed upstairs.

 

Sam, who was eavesdropping, turned to Mark, “Is Daddy okay?” Her emerald colored eyes were filled with worry.

  
“Yeah, let me go check on him.” She nodded as Mark started walking up the stairs. Questions, questions, and even more questions arose in his mind.


	5. Sharing Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The two of them trade their life stories.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I am so sorry for the sporadic updates and my inconsistency. School is being a bitch right now, so it's getting harder and harder to find time to write :(
> 
> It's been like 3 or 4 days since I updated and I felt really bad, so here is a chapter written from 2 am to 6 am! 
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Mark quietly knocked at the bedroom door. “Jack? Can I come in?” He heard sniffling and sobs through the walls, but didn’t hear a reply. Despite what Jack would answer, Mark opened the door and stepped inside the master bedroom. The room was large, with a TV in the corner, a recliner and a couch on either side, and a queen sized bed in the middle with it’s backboard against the wall. The wall opposite of the bed’s wall had two doors, one that led to a bathroom, and one that led into a sizable walk-in closet that fitted a wardrobe with a body mirror inside, and more racks and bins of clothing against the two walls adjacent to the back wall.

 

Jack was sat on the edge of his bed, crying into the palms of his hands, much like Mark did when Sam first found him. 

 

He slowly approached him and sat on the bed next to him, “Hey,” He started apologizing, “I’m sorry for prying so much. I shouldn’t have―” Mark was interrupted by a loud broken sob followed by more tears. Awkwardly sitting next to the sniffling man, he wasn’t sure what to do. Mark never had friends who cried like this, usually he was the one doing the crying. Scooting even closer to Jack, he put his arms around him, hugging the Irishman close to his chest like his friends would used to do to comfort him. He traced soothing lines across his back to try and calm him down. Jack buried his head deeper into Mark’s shirt to muffle his cries a little more, hoping that Sam wouldn’t hear over the TV. After sitting in the same position for fifteen minutes, Mark felt Jack pulling back to wipe the remaining tears with the ends of his sleeves.

 

“Sorry.” Jack muttered as he looked at the wet spot he made on the American’s shirt.

 

“No worries,” He offered Jack a sympathetic smile, “Do you...maybe want to talk about it?”

 

Jack looked away in silence for a while before nodding a small yes and drew in a breath, “Okay, so um.. I was abused...like you were.” He looked down at his hands, fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. “When I first met my wife―ex-wife, I knew she was a bit emotionally unstable, but I wasn’t expectin’ it to get this bad. After about six months into our marriage, she started drinking more than usual. When she was sober, I would ask her if she want to see a psychiatrist er somethin’. But she’d usually brush it off and say it was ‘no biggie’. Then one night, she came home a lot more drunk than before. And she uhh..s-she uh…” Jack choked on a small sob and shut his eyes tightly. Mark rubbed the side of his shoulder and gave an understanding nod. “An’ y-yeah. She started doin’ it more and more often, until she was pregnant with Sam. She still drank, but she wasn’t as abusive. Thank god Sam didn’t have any defects when she was born. After that, she was drinkin’ a whole lot again and taking it out on me. But then, while I was away at work, I came back home to see Sam on the floor, crying with cuts all over her back and legs. She was only around one at the time…” Jack was unaware of the stream of tears trickling down his face and continued speaking, “So long story short, I took Sam to a hospital, filed a divorce, and moved the hell away from my wife, and ended up here in LA.”

“I’m so so sorry.” was all Mark managed to say. He was shocked at what happened to Jack. He always seemed like such a cheerful man, with no hint of sadness whatsoever. 

 

“It’s alright. Sam’s safe now, I’m safe now. Life is good.” He half-heartedly chuckled. 

 

The two men sat in silence, waiting for one another to speak.

 

“So...I guess it’s only fair if I tell you what happened with me, huh?” Mark thought that was the least he could do in return, after Jack poured out his life to him.

 

“You don’t hafta, I mean, do whatever makes ya comfortable.”

 

“I can tell you. Think of it as like ‘exchanging stories’ or secrets or whatever.”

 

“K, just stop whenever you needa ‘kay? I don’t want both of us to walk out of this room on the brink of tears.” 

 

Mark smiled at Jack’s attempt to lighten the mood a bit, “I will. So I met this guy when I ran away from my previous girlfriend.” Jack gave him a puzzled look, which Mark quickly responded to. “I’m bisexual so that’s why. But my girlfriend, much like your ex-wife, was also emotionally unstable and had a drinking problem...and verbally abused me a lot. So anyways, I ran away from her to a park, the same one where we met. There was this guy who saw me crying and tried to comfort me and I told him all about what happened. He offered to shelter me at his house, and me, in the fragile state I was, stupidly said yes. At first, he was a really nice guy, he gave me food and clothing, and we’d hangout a lot playing video games. Then later one, he asked me to be his boyfriend, saying that he never met someone he loved and cared more so much and that he wants to stay with me forever. I have never felt more loved in my life, so I, again, stupidly said yes. At first, he would sometimes verbally assault me, but then apologize afterwards if I started crying. But later on, he would do… more serious things.” Mark was careful about his choice of words and struggled to speak as he went on. “T-then one night, when things were pretty bad, he stormed into my room a-and pinned me against the wall, threatening me that I can never leave. A-a-and t-then...h-he ra…” Mark stopped, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill.

 

Jack handed him a box of tissues from his nightstand and comfortingly rubbed his back.

 

“I’m sorry about what happened to ya.” He whispered, “I can’t believe you have such bad luck. But then...why didja trust me at the park?”

 

Mark looked up through blurry tears and answered, “Because I saw the way you interacted with Sam. I saw how happy she was with you. That meant you are a great father to her, and therefore a great person.”

 

Jack felt a smile tugging at his lips.

 

“I also didn’t give a fuck about what happens to me next and was pretty much ready to give up and die.” Mark quickly mumbled under his breath, barely loud enough for Jack to hear. 

 

The smaller of the two pulled Mark into a hug whispered next to his ear, “Well, I’m glad ya didn’t give up.”

 

Mark returned the hug, “Thanks Jack.”

 

“No problem. Do ya want me to get ya a different sweatshirt?” He pointed at the large tear stain on the front of Mark’s gray hoodie.

 

“Nah it’s fine. Just say I spilled water or something.”

 

Jack laughed, “Alright, whatever ya say.”

 

As they went back downstairs to see Sam, the doorbell rang and Mark could hear barking through the front door. 

 

“Hang on a second.” Jack ran over to the door and opened it. He was greeted with a man about Mark’s height with dirty blonde hair and a thin frame like Jack’s. The man was holding a leash with two pugs, a white one and a black one.

 

_ Ooooh that must be “Mya” and “Edghar.” _

 

“Mr. Uncle!!!” A high-pitched voice yelled as he saw Sam running over to the man and jumped into his arms for a hug.

 

“Sam! How are you?” The man obviously had an accent, but Mark couldn’t tell where it was from. After putting Sam down, the stranger let go of his two pugs as Sam hugged and kissed each of them and then ran off back into the living room.

 

“So how have ya been Felix?” He heard Jack’s voice coming towards him into the kitchen. Trying to act casual, he quickly pulled a chair at the dining table and turned on his phone to see 48 missed calls and 73 messages. 

 

“Pretty good! Marzia’s new boutique just opened up and is doing very well. How ‘bout you?”

 

Mark scrolled through all the messages his boyfriend left him.

‘ _ Hey.’ _

_ ‘Hello?’ _

_ ‘Mark?’ _

_ ‘Maaark??? Where r u?’ _

_ ‘Helloo?’ _

 

“Ehh doin’ okay I guess. I want ya to meet somebody though.”

 

He scrolled down some more.

‘ _ MARK _ ’

‘ _ YOU COME BACK HOME RIGHT NOW’ _

‘ _ If u ran to that fucking park, I’m gonna kill u’ _

_ ‘There’s no use in hiding Mark. I have ur GPS location at all times, remember?’ _

 

“Who is it? A new friend?”

 

‘ _ I’m at the house.’ _

_ ‘You’re coming home with me. NOW.’ _

_ Sent 2 minutes ago. _

 

Eyes widening at the last text, Mark started to panic.

 

“Yeah, his name Mark. He’s right over here―”

 

Mark quickly dashed past them telling them to run, and bolted up to his bedroom, locking the door and barricading it with his mattress. 

 

A loud banging against the front door was soon heard, followed by muffled shouts and what seemed to be a string of profanity. The door was forced opened and a tall, muscular man appeared. He had blonde hair, and looked about six feet tall, with a build even bigger than Mark’s. The man spotted Jack and Felix hiding behind the kitchen table.

 

“Where is Mark Fischbach?!” He stomped towards them, screaming into their ears.

 

“W-we don’t know.” The two Europeans cowered back in fear of the stranger.

 

“Bullshit!” He shoved Jack onto the floor and grabbed a knife lying on the kitchen counter. He pinned Jack by the throat against the floor with the knife threatening to kill him, “Tell. Me. Where. He. Is.”

 

Before Jack could choke out a word, Felix had grabbed a large steel soup pot and swung it at the side of the man’s head with full force. His grip loosened and Jack escaped from underneath him. Though the pot was a good distraction, it didn’t knock him out. He stood up and aimlessly threw the knife in the direction towards Felix, which he stepped out of the way and dodged. 

 

“FORGET IT! You’re not worth my time!”

 

He ran upstairs to check the rooms. Just as Jack was about to run after him, Sam pulled at his shirt and looked at him with fear in her eyes, “Daddy? What’s going on?”

 

He gave her a hug and whispered, “It’s okay, just stay in the living room and lock yourself in and don’t come out. I love you.”

 

Sam nodded and said ‘I love you too’ before running back into the living room with the two pugs.

 

Felix was already upstairs, trying to refrain the man from exploring and destroying the house any further. But that only resulted him in getting punch in the stomach. The maniacal boyfriend finally reached the lock guest room.

 

“MARK!! I KNOW YOU’RE IN THERE!” He bashed the barricaded door with his foot a few times before breaking a hole in the wood completely. He shoved to mattress out of the way to see Mark trembling in the corner of the room.

 

“Thought you could hide? I told you,” He walked closer to Mark, pulling Mark closer to him, “ **_You’re never going to leave me._ ** ”

 

“Mark!” Jack yelled from across the room and sprinted towards the man with a large history textbook. Jack swung the book at him, but that did nothing. Instead, the man took the book from Jack’s hands and beat Jack with it, until he was on the floor, bruised and in tears. 

 

“JACK!” Mark shrieked and collapsed onto his knees, crying as hard as he possibly could. This was all his fault, if he hadn’t stayed with Jack, this wouldn’t have happened.

  
“Quit your whining.” But Mark continued to scream and cry, resulting in him getting knocked out by a history book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GAAAAHH I feel like my writing is getting worse and worse as I write more. That, or I'm just too sleepy.


	6. Maxon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> !IMPORTANT!
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains rape/non-con material. Please do not read if you don't think you can.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *climbs over a 100,000 feet mountain of homework* Here...just...take..it... *passes out*
> 
> I'm so so so so SO SO SO sorry!!! It's been like 3 or 4 days since I updated this. I promise I haven't neglected you guys, I'm still here. The state finals are coming up so I'm getting less and less time to write. I was also going to post this in the morning, BUT THE FREAKING POWER WENT OUT FOR A WHOLE DAY (I go by Pacific Standard Time btw). So here, you go, posted at 4 am PST.
> 
> Enjoy! <3
> 
>  
> 
> Note: The "---" indicates a change of perspective

His head violently pounded as he woke up. 

 

_ How long have I been out? _

 

Fear started to invade his mind as a sudden wave of memories of recent events hit him. He slowly opened his eyes, squinting at the bright light shining directly towards him. He took in his surroundings, walls tinted with a light grey, a familiar picture hung on th― _ crap.  _ Mark realized where he was and how this was going to turn out. As he tried to get up, he stumbled back onto the floor within two steps. Mark looked down to see his hands were cuffed together in front of him and the thick cord connected to the metal collar around his neck was tied securely to the bedpost. He tried breaking the chains off his hands by repeatedly bashing it onto the sharp corner of the nearby nightstand, but to no avail. 

 

\---

 

“Jack, Jack, wake up!”

 

He felt someone gently shaking him by him shoulder. He opened his eyes to see Felix hovering over him, face pale with worry.

 

“Oh thank god, I thought you were―”

 

Jack immediately sat up to face Felix, interrupting him. “Where’s Sam?” He quickly got up from his spot and ran for the door, until he felt a hand stop him.

 

“Don’t worry, I gave her some food and told her you were sleeping. She’s downstairs playing with the dogs.”

 

Jack visibly relaxed and sighed in relief. He suddenly collapsed against the wall, his head practically throbbing with pain.

 

“Are you okay? What happened in there?”

 

Felix rushed over to Jack and propped him up against his shoulders. Jack had his eyes tightly shut before opening them and blinking a few times. He felt a small bump forming on the side of his head.

 

“Yeah, ‘m fine now. How ‘bout you though?”

 

They walked over to the bed, Felix gently sitting Jack down.

 

“I’m pretty sure I’m internally bleeding right now, but I’m okay...I think…”

 

“Fook.” Jack dropped his head into his hands. “The dude took Mark though.”

 

Felix could see how much distress the other was in, but was clueless as to how to help. 

 

“Maybe you could report him or something?” The Swede’s voice pitch rose higher as he questioned his own question. 

 

“Can’t. I don’t even know his fooking name. And I don’t think him an’ Mark are married so yeah.”

 

Jack got up again and walked towards the door, “Let’s go. I needa check on Sam anyways.”

 

Felix followed him out of the bedroom and downstairs into the living room, where Sam lied snuggled up with the pugs against the bean bags sleeping. 

 

“How long was I out exactly?”

 

“Eh, four hours, give or take.” He said nonchalantly. 

 

“Jaysus christ.” He absentmindedly rubbed the side of his head again, as if to check if any more damage was done. 

 

“You should go to sleep as well. Seems like you got hit in the head pretty hard.”

 

“Yeah I guess.” Jack looked out the window to see street lights already lit and the moon high up in the sky. 

 

“I’ll stay down here with Sam, ya can sleep in my room or wherever ya want to.” He dragged a blanket out from a cabinet and settled onto a couch in the living room.

 

“Nah, I’ll stay here with you. It’ll be like good ol’ times when we had sleepovers.” Jack smiled at the memories, it seemed like yesterday, yet so far away. Felix got another blanket from the drawer beneath and lied down on one of the bean bags.

 

“‘Night Fe,” Jack reached out over his head to turn off the lightswitch.

 

“Goodnight Jackaboy.”

  
  
  


That night, Jack couldn’t sleep.

  
  


\---

 

“Trying to escape, are we?” The door creaked opened to reveal the man holding a slender leather crop in one of his hands. Mark backed as far into the corner as he possibly could.

 

“I  _ told  _ you that you belong to me,” He stepped closer to the quivering American.

 

“But you didn’t listen.” He kicked Mark in the stomach hard. 

 

“You know what’s going to happen when you disobey me.” He said in a menacing tone. Mark didn’t say anything, in fear of making the situation worse than it already was for him. His heartbeat instantly quickened as he saw his boyfriend pull a knife from a drawer, putting down the crop. 

 

_ Oh god, he’s literally going to kill me. _

 

Mark had nowhere to run, he was completely helpless. To his surprise, the blonde man grabbed the front collar of Mark’s hoodie and sliced the fabric in half in one swift motion, exposing his chest.

 

“I’m not going to take of your collar just so you can take your shirt off,” He took the back of the hoodie and cut a line there as well, letting each half of the sweatshirt fall onto Mark’s chained arms. 

 

“You might try to run again.” He said, his voice low. He grabbed the waistband of Mark’s sweatpants and pulled it down to his knees. The American did not struggle or fight back, remembering the knife on the floor next to him. 

 

“But remember,  _ you’re mine. _ ” He roughly pushed Mark’s back against the wall, demanding him not to move. He grabbed the leather crop and harshly struck once on his back, then twice, then a couple more times. Mark squeezed his eyes shut as he felt the fabric leave a painful burning sensation on his skin with each strike. He clenched his teeth to hold back his screams, remembering what happened last time if he let it out. Tears leaked out the corner of his tightly shut eyes as the other kept leaving marks on his back, strike after strike until Mark finally collapsed onto the floor. He could already feel bruises forming on his back and blood dripping down to his boxers. When he looked behind him through blurry tears, his boyfriend stared at him with lust in his eyes and a dark smile creeping up his lips.

 

“Maxon...please don’t…” Mark begged, his breathing uneven and his heartbeat pounding in his ears. He knew where this was going, for his boyfriend had an extreme blood kink. And seeing Mark whimpering in tears doesn’t help him either.

 

Maxon struck him one more time, drawing more blood and causing Mark to let out a cry. “Who’s in charge here?”

 

“Y-you are.” Mark whimpered as tears steadily flowed down his cheeks.

 

He chuckled darkly, “That’s right.” He put down the crop and shoved Mark on his knees to face him. With his eyes leveled with Maxon’s crotch, he could see the arousal already tenting up his pants. He undid his zipper and tugged at Mark’s hair, immediately shoving his hard throbbing member into his mouth. More tears fell as Maxon rutted against his mouth, hitting the back of his throat with each sharp thrust. Drool dripped onto his handcuffs and the roots of his hair stung at the intense pulling. He felt immense pain shot up his back as Maxon dug his fingernails deeper into the wounds, smearing the blood around the broken skin. After letting out one last loud moan, he came into Mark’s mouth, the white substance dribbling down to his chin.

 

“SWALLOW IT!” He bent over and tugged Mark’s head up to yell into his ear. The blonde stood there, waiting. A satisfactory smile spread across his face as he saw Mark’s face scrunch up and gulped down the liquid.

 

“Good boy. I’ll bring you something to eat later.” Maxon walked out of the room, turned off the lights, and locked the door. Judging by the multiple clicks Mark heard, he must have put on a few more padlocks.

 

Mark sat alone in the darkness, only the moonlight illuminating half of the room. Bloody, battered, and dirty, he continued to cry, even harder than before. The hoodie that Jack gave him was literally cut in half and soaked with tears, and the sweatpants he lended him had the sticky white substance dripped onto it.

 

_ I hope Jack is okay. _

 

Thinking about what trouble he caused Jack made him sob even harder, biting on the chain of his cuffs to keep from being too loud. 

 

_ I hope I bleed out to death or something. _

 

Death would’ve been a lot better than what he just went through. His current situation was probably worst than the nine pits of hell.

  
It was after three hours of shedding tears that Mark finally cried himself to sleep. 


	7. The Other Side

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a filler chapter before a big plot point.
> 
> !!!WARNING!!!: This chapter contains dark/angsty/suicidal thoughts. Please do not read if you are not comfortable with this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY SHIT IT'S BEEN LIKE MORE THAN A WEEK SINCE I'VE UPDATED! But good news! My finals are finished FOR NOW in Math and English. So I should update more frequently for the time being. :)
> 
> Note: This chapter was supposed to be much longer, but I didn't finish the second half yet, and I haaaad to update it so here you go!
> 
> Enjoy! <3

4 AM.

 

Jack laid still on the couch, still wide awake. 

 

4:07 AM

 

He quietly stood up from the couch, the blanket draped around his shoulders and dragging along the floor. Carefully stepping around Sam and the pugs, he walked to the kitchen.

 

4:10 AM

 

Felix stirred awake as he heard a quiet rumbling sound from the kitchen. He looked over to see Jack was gone from his spot. Still half asleep, the Swede grabbed a vase of flowers as a defense weapon, assuming that the psychopathic boyfriend came back and took his best friend hostage.

 

4:11 AM

 

Jack looked out at the city lights through his kitchen window, waiting for his coffee to finish brewing. It was pretty rare to see the sunrise while living in the middle of LA. He kind of missed that benefit of living in Ireland - the blue sky, the green grass...and a shit ton of rain. Jack mentally frowned a little,  _ Ireland’s not that much better.  _

 

4:12 AM

Felix sneaked quietly into the kitchen, holding the vase of flowers like a baseball bat. He sees what seemed to be a cloaked figure in the dim light. Confused, he reached over to flip on the lightswitch. 

 

\---

 

The room suddenly filled with light. Jack turned around, confused when he saw Felix carrying a vase of his lilies and daisies, squinting at him in a wide battle stance.

 

“What're ya doin’ up this early?” Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

 

“I could ask the same for you.” Felix relaxed and gently put down the ceramic vase on the kitchen counter.

 

“Couldn’t sleep. So I just got up and made some coffee.” He reached for a cup on the shelf and poured the coffee into it. “Want some?”

 

“No thanks. Jesus christ, it’s like four in the morning Jack. You could have at least tried to sleep until seven or something.”

 

He took a sip of the steaming liquid. “Nah. I doubt I could even if I tried. Imma go watch TV or something.”

 

Felix furrowed his brows in worry, “Okay...I’ll go back to sleep I guess.”

 

As Felix headed back to the living room, Sam entered the kitchen, holding Maya in the crook of her arm and looking half asleep. 

 

“Daddy? Can I please come watch TV with you?” She went up to her father and leaned her head against him, slowly drifting back to sleep.

 

Jack hugged her closer to him with one arm, “Honey you got to get some sleep. Ya have school tomorrow, remember?”

 

Sam whined in protest, “But you’re not sleeping and you have to do work tomorrow! Pretty please with cake and cookies on top? And I can’t sleep either…”

 

“Alright, let’s go. Leave the pugs with your uncle though.”

 

Sam nodded and walked back to the living room to gently set the pug down on a beanbag. After giving a hug for Felix and a kiss for each of the pugs, she followed her dad upstairs to the master bedroom.

  
  


Jack turned on the TV to a low volume as Sam jumped onto the spongy queen sized bed and snuggled into the soft blue blankets. Jack got under the blankets from the other side and handed Sam a teddy bear sitting on top of the drawer.Letting Sam rest her head on his shoulder, the two listened to the quiet television for a while, until wide green eyes met blue and spoke.

 

“Daddy? I-is Uncle Mark gonna be back? I really really miss him.”

 

Jack let out a heavy sigh, “I’m not sure...We’re tryin’ our best to look for him, but we don’t have any strong clues…”

 

Sam could see the despair in Jack’s eyes, feeling her own eyes watering a bit. She sniffled, “I hope he will be back. I d-don’t want him to have t-those owies again.” At this point, she was quietly sobbing into Jack’s shoulder, clutching the stuffed animal tight to her chest. Jack pulled her tighter into his embrace and stroked her hair with one hand.

 

“I don’t either. I hope he is alright too.” 

 

\---

 

Mark woke up still cuffed and collared to the bedpost, his skin flaring in pain when he tried to move. He let out a heavy sigh and his memories and thoughts flowed into his head.

 

_ Don’t you remember? This is karma. This is karma for dropping out of college. This is karma for disappointing your family, especially your dad. This is karma for being a useless piece of shit taking up space on Earth. You deserve this. You should be dead. _

 

No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t cry to relieve the pain he felt inside. Maybe he didn’t have any tears left in him. Or maybe he was actually dead inside. He sat around waiting, not knowing what time it was, but knew it was early for the sky was still dim. Out of boredom and the lack of things to do, Mark looked around the room and evaluated his situation.

 

_ Well...things aren’t looking good. I might die...but it’s alright I guess, I got nothing to live for. _

_ It’s been awhile since I’ve met Max. Holy shit its been over a year. Huh. We never really celebrated an anniversary or anything. _

_ Maybe if I never met him things would be better…? I mean, Johanna is surely better than him, _

_ Wow. I make extremely crappy decisions when it comes to finding a relationship. Actually, I make crappy decisions for everything I’ve done in life. _

_ My life is a big fucking mess. And it’s getting so much worse.  _

_ Why is the gods so cruel to me?  _

_ What have I done wrong? Oh right, EVERYTHING. _

_ Hmm...when’s the last time I actually met a decent person? _

_ Duh, Jack, you fucking idiot. _

_ I wish more people were like Jack. He’s such a charismatic and caring person. Not to mention how talented he is. _

_ All I can do is sing. What can he do? He can play drums, he can cook and bake, he finished college, he has a job, he can edit audio and shit, and on top of all that, he could single handedly take care and raise a perfect child.  _

_ He probably has a whole lot more talents that I don’t even know about. _

_ And Sam is literally a definition of a perfect child. She’s actually a lot like Jack, except that she has green eyes instead of blue, but still. _

_ You know what they said, like father like daughter. Or was it like daughter like father? Whatever, I wasn’t really good at english anyways. _

_ I guess to have a perfect child, you have to have good parents. Well in this case, just one perfect parent. _

_ If I was like Jack, maybe things would be better for me. I could be living with someone who actually loves me. I could have adorable children who would look up to me. Heck, I could even get a job. _

_ But no, I get to live with a stereotypical douche named Max and is currently tied to a fucking bed. _

_ I’m probably better off like this, out of everyone’s lives in a secluded house where no one will ever find me.  _

_ Wait… _

 

Mark sat up a little straighter and peaked his head to look out the window. Green pine trees surrounded the house with no people in sight.

 

_ Yep, I’m in a secluded house in the middle of the fucking forest.  _

 

He let out a loud annoyed groan.

 

“KILL ME ALREADY.” He yelled at the ceiling. Most of his pain has been replaced with annoyance and anger. He just wants to die. He doesn’t care if it’s five in the morning or six in the evening, he doesn’t care if Maxon hears him, he just wants to escape from his choices, his life, the face of the Earth. 

 

He looked around for any electrical sockets he could stick his finger into. None. The walls were completely empty with only a picture hanging on the far side of the wall where Mark couldn’t reach. He tugged on the rope tied to around the bedpost. It was tightly knotted multiple times so that he couldn’t break free. 

 

_ Fuck this shit. Fuck you Max. Fuck you karma. Fuck you world. I’m gonna break out or at least die trying to break out. Fuck everything. _

 

He banged his head against the wall as he leaned back, hoping someone would hear how pissed he was. 


	8. The Other Side (Part 2/Continued)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of a fluffier filler chapter than the previous part.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAHHH I'm literally screaming everytime I post a chapter. Like in the previous chapter I was like "Finals are done for now, so more posting!" And then BOOM. Another final comes out of nowhere and I break my promise. :( Once again, I apologize for my inconsistent upload schedule. I really admire those who post literally every day *cough* @FitofPaige for all you Undertale fans out there, she's an amazing writer *cough*
> 
> I also have been going through sorta a rough time, with my anxiety and depression becoming a little more sever than normal lately. And I miiiiiiiight have done something I greatly regret T.T So be prepared for the angsty one-shot(s) that might come your way!
> 
> BUT (sorry for my rambling) I hope you'll enjoy this chapter! <3

It’s been two hours and Mark was still singing the melody repeatedly. ‘Eight Melodies’ was one of his favorite OST from Mother, his favorite game. After hitting the finishing note, he started the song all over again, the background harmony playing in his head to accompany his melody. The empty room was very echo-y and made his voice sound more beautiful than it already was. 

 

After three more rounds of the song, Mark heard clicks from outside of the room and the door swung open. Maxon came in holding a plate of food and a glass of water, struggling to walk without falling face first across the room to Mark. 

 

He set down the plate and glass in front of Mark, “Eat up,” He slurred and gave a pat to Mark’s face before leaving the room once again, not bothering to un-cuff his hands.

 

Looking down at the plate of food, there was a chunk of mash potatoes and a bit of leftover pasta salad, and no utensils. Afraid of getting drugged, Mark only took the glass of water with both hands and started drinking, leaving the food untouched.

 

_ If I went three weeks without food before, I can still do it now.  _

 

He nudged the plate aside with his feet and continued singing.

 

\---

 

Jack grumbled at the sound of the blaring alarm, reaching over to press  _ snooze. _ Sam lied on the bed, holding her teddy bear protectively to her chest, still in a deep slumber. He slowly got up from the bed, being careful not to wake Sam. Wearing his robe and slippers, he went downstairs to see Felix already up watching the TV in the living room.

 

“Hey,” The blonde muted the volume and turned to face Jack, “What are you doing up so early? It’s only like seven.” 

 

“Yeah, I know. I just need t’ call in sick fer Sam ‘cause I doubt she’d want to get up to go to school today.”

 

Felix hummed in agreement, “How about you though? You gonna go to work?”

 

“Nah. Too lazy.” Jack sighed and started dialing the number on the phone.

 

~

 

After calling the school about Sam’s absence and his boss about his own as well, Jack went back upstairs to his bedroom where Sam woke up and was sitting on the bed, running fingers through her tangled hair.

 

“Daddy? Can you help me untie my hair? It hurts when I do it.”

 

“Sure,” He chuckled and grabbed a neon pink brush from his bathroom. Sam scooted over to make room for Jack to sit behind her. Brushing through her dark cocoa-colored hair, he untangled most of the knots and ended up tying it into a french braid, a trick he learned from Marzia. 

 

“Done,” He said as he tied a piece of red ribbon into a neat bow over the rubber band for an extra touch. “Do you want to go get some ice cream today?”

 

Sam cocked her head to the side in confusion, “But what about school?” 

 

“Don’t worry about it. I called in sick for you.”

 

She knitted her brows in further confusion, “But I’m not sick.”

 

“I know sweetheart. I just want to spend some time with you today.” He pulled her in for a hug and kissed her forehead, “I also thought ya wouldn’t want to wake up this early since you slept so late last night.” 

 

“Okay. Can I get a looooooot of cookie dough this time?”

 

“Whatever you want.”

 

“Yay!” Sam jumped up from the bed in excitement. It was rare she gets to indulge this much. “Can I wear a dress too?”

 

Jack laughed at her enthusiasm, “Yes, just make sure to wear one of those little jacket thingies to go with the dress. It’s cold in th’ mornin’ andI don’t wantcha to actually get sick.”

 

“Kay!” She shouted from inside the walk-in closet, where she kept her more fancy summer clothing. Rummaging through the wardrobe, she came out holding a cream dress with a red-orange-yellow ombre print of tiny butterflies throughout the dress. The dress was knee length, with a thin netted layer underneath the top layer. The neck of it was a flat line with elastic sewn into it, meant for the wearer to the place the elastic on either sides of the shoulders, leaving their neck room for accessories. The waistline of the dress was cinched with with a thick red ribbon around the middle and tied into a large bow in the back, matching the ribbon in her hair. In her other hand, she held out a thin white lace jacket made for pairing with dresses, not having any buttons or zippers and only covering the top half of her upper body. 

 

“I like the dress, but maybe ya should get a different coat. I don’t think the lace one looks well with the dress.” Jack walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a thin cream colored fur cape with a red outline. The clasp pinning the cape together was in the shape of a golden butterfly. Very fitting for her dress. 

 

“Oooo I like the furry one better! It’s so soft.” She took the cape from his hands and went to her own room to change.

 

Jack decided to wear something simpler. He wasn’t really a guy who cared about fashion or his appearance much. Putting on a simple white t-shirt, he took out his burgundy hoodie from the dryer and paired it with some blue jeans along with his white beanie, being too lazy to style his hair.

 

“I’m ready Daddy!” Sam entered the master bedroom again, wearing her dress and cape with a pair of fake ruby earrings she received as a Christmas present from Marzia.

 

_ Marzia has good taste. Thank god Sam got her fashion senses from her.  _

 

Marzia would visit the two of them very often with Felix, but hasn’t been here for a few weeks due to her trip back to Italy with her family. 

 

“You look faaaaaaabulous darlin’!” He said in his most girliest, most diva-like voice he possibly could.

 

Sam giggled and placed a hand on her waist, strutting her hips side to side, walking towards her father as she played along. Jack scooped her up into his arms and spinned around. Her laugh was music to his ears. 

 

“Alright, let’s go.” He smiled as Sam settled down and followed him down the stairs.

 

Felix looked up from the TV and saw Sam’s outfit. “Woah! You look great Sam!”

 

A grin bloomed across her face, “Thank you Uncle Fe! I’m wearing the gems Auntie Zi Zi gave me!”

 

“I see,” The Swede chuckled, “They look very nice on you!”

 

“Hey!” Jack interrupted, acting offended by putting a hand to his chest, “What about me?”

 

“Don’t worry, you still look like an idiot.” Felix playfully winked.

 

“Ha ha. Good one Fe, veeryy clever.” He rolled his eyes sarcastically, “But we’re headin’ out fer some ice cream. Are ye gonna stay here or go home?”

 

“I’ll just stay here.”

 

“M’kay. Make sure the door’s locked after we’re out.”

 

“Yeah yeah I know. I’m not a little kid, Jack.” He joked.

  
“But you sure act like one.” Jack smirked, leaving the house before Felix had a chance to rebut.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. Sorry for the short-ish chapter. I'll try to make longer ones in the future! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated <3
> 
> I love you all!


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